Clow Cards, Pen Pals and Love Triangles
by blazekick360
Summary: Sakura accompanies Madison on a trip to Mineral Town to meet her pen pal Mary. Things get complicated when two mysteriously quiet boys enter the picture, a decrepit farm is passed on and a certain teal-haired goddess tries to mess with Clow magic
1. Chapter 1: Pen Pals

Chapter 1: Pen Pals

"This is going to be great Sakura! I'm so excited that I'm finally able to meet my pen pal!" said a 20-year old Madison Taylor, hopping up and down with excitement.

"Could you stop jumping around please?" said a less than enthusiastic Sakura Avalon. Her face was devoid of colour and the expression on her face screamed that she would like nothing better than to curl up into a ball and sleep until the ferry she and Madison were aboard came ashore.

"You never struck me as someone who gets seasick Sakura." said Madison chuckling, "I thought that since you such a great swimmer the waves wouldn't really affect you like they are now." Sakura could not hear her however, as she once again for the third time that trip, leaned her head over the side of the boat and released the contents of her stomach into the swirling ocean.

"I don't understand why we couldn't just fly straight there instead of flying to the port and then taking a ride on this floating deathtrap," said Sakura sourly.

"Sorry," said Madison smiling, "But Mineral Town is not a big town so they don't have an airport. Boat is the only way to get there. And look at it this way. At least your stomach is empty now, so you'll be able to have a nice lunch when we get there. I heard Mary's mother is an excellent cook."

"Ooh what a bright side that is," said Sakura sarcastically. "I'd still rather not be blowing chunks."

"Well how's this for a bright side for you?" asked Madison cheerfully, "I can see land." Sure enough, growing in the distance was a small speck which eventually became a blot on the horizon. As the small ferry grew closer to said blot, the two girls could make out more details of the oncoming land mass. They could see a small wooden dock, protruding from a short beach which eventually disappeared into a cliffside. On the beach there stood two small houses, one brown and one pure white. The ferry sailed smoothly into an area next to the dock allowed the girls to exit. Sakura ran excitedly down to the beach, dropped to her knees, and grabbed two handfuls of sand. She brought the sand near her face and breathed in deeply.

"Aah," she sighed, "Sweet, beautiful land."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said an unknown male voice from over Sakura's head, "People bring their dogs here and don't exactly clean up well after them."


	2. Chapter 2: An Unexpected Gift

Chapter 2: An Unexpected Gift

Sakura looked nervously upward. Standing over her was a large, bulky, shadowy figure. The details of his face were not very visible because the sun was directly behind his large frame. The unknown man then offered his hand to Sakura. She accepted the gesture and took his hand. As she rose from her kneeling position she was able to get a better view of her mysterious acquaintance. He was a very muscly man with a small moustache and an oddly flat-topped hairstyle. He wore a white muscle shirt with blue cargo pants and brown work boots. Had he not been grinning, he would have had a very intimidating presence. However, because of his toothy smile, he seemed rather friendly.

"I'm just kidding," he said jokingly. "With Winter just ending, nobody has brought their dogs for a while now. I'm Zack by the way."

"Hi, I'm Sakura and this is Madison," said Sakura, still a bit frazzled from the initial shock of her encounter with the gentle giant.

"Hi there," Madison smiled.

"Nice to meet you girls." Zack said cheerfully. "What brings you to Mineral Town?"

"We're here to see Mary." explained Madison. "She and I have been exchanging letters over the last few months and then one day she asked if I'd like to come over to Mineral Town to experience the life outside the big city and I jumped at the chance."

"That's interesting." said Zack, "I can show you the way to Mary's if you like. I'm heading into town anyway so it'll be no trouble."

"That would be great." said Madison.

"All right then, follow me." said Zack. He then proceeded to lead them up the whitewashed staircase into the quaint little square paved with clean, light red bricks. The square was very simple. It was completely empty except for a lamppost, a garbage bin, and a bulletin board in the corner which was home to a number of notices advertising upcoming events.

"This is Rose Square." explained Zack, "It may seem quiet now, but whenever there's a festival going on, this is the place to be."

"It's so cute." commented Sakura, "Why is it called Rose Square though?"

"You know, I've never really asked," piped up Zack, "Why did you come to Mineral Town, Sakura? You haven't been sending letters to Mary too, have you?

"No, no nothing like that." answered Sakura, "I just needed to get away from some things in my life. I was just stressed out, and I was in a relationship that wasn't going anywhere. Stuff like that."

"I still can't believe you broke it off with Li." sighed Madison. "You two were so good together."

"Yeah. 'Were'" Sakura said while rolling her eyes, "As in the past tense. I don't know what happened. It's almost as if he stopped caring. It's alright though. It's all in the past now. That's why I came here. For some time away."

"That's too bad," said Zack with a reassuring smile, "Here's the church by the way." Zack was pointing up towards the building that was straight ahead of them. There was a small path leading up past the right hand side of the building that ended at the doorway of a small hut made of wooden sticks. On the left hand side of the building, there was a patch of land marked with a few small gravestones. Most of them looked worn and old with the exception of the one nearest the church which looked polished and new. At the front doors of the chapel stood a kindly looking man with blond hair and dressed in black religious robes.

"Good morning Zack." said the man happily. "I trust your day has been pleasant so far?"

"Mornin' Carter," replied Zack equally as cheerfully. "It has been, thanks for asking. This is Carter, the town's priest." said Zack, turning to the two girls. "Carter, I'd like to introduce you to Sakura and Madison. They're here to visit Mary. Madison is the one who has been exchanging letters with her."

"Ah yes, I believe Mary mentioned you one time." said Carter wistfully.

"Good morning Father." said the girls in unison.

"Oh please, just call me Carter." he said smiling, "I pray that your stay here will be an enjoyable one." After bidding their goodbyes to Carter, Zack and the girls continued around the corner. After walking a few more minutes Zack said,

"To the right of us is the hospital, and that girl coming up the road is the nurse, Elli." Coming from the direction that Zack's finger was pointing was a girl with short brown hair and sparkly brown eyes. She wore a blue dress with a frilly white apron. She smiled weakly when she saw the group and came over to greet the girls.

"Hi... I've never seen either of you around here before. Are you just visiting?"

"Yeah" said Madison, "We're here to visit Mary."

"Oh yeah, she told me you were coming. The girl from the letters right?" said Elli thoughtfully, "I was just with her by the way."

"She got out of the nature hike with her family? Basil's usually pretty adamant that all three of them go as a family." said Zack.

"Yeah, she stayed back at the house." replied Elli, "I guess she told her parents that you were coming and that she had to get ready. She's really excited."

"Me too." said Madison excitedly.

"Anyway, I've got to get to work." said Elli tiredly. "Maybe I'll see you soon."

"I hope so." said Sakura as they waved good-bye. After a few more minutes of walking, Sakura asked

"Is she alright?" asked Madison hesitantly. "She seemed awfully glum."

"She's been through a lot in the last little while." Zack reassured her. "She'll be fine though. Don't worry about her. She's resilient."

"What happened to her?" asked Sakura curiously.

" I don't want to say just because it's such a sensitive issue." answered Zack. "I hope you understand. If you knew, you would understand why she feels the way she does."

"Totally." replied Sakura. "If she wants to share, she can. But until then, I'll keep my nose out." As Sakura finished speaking, the trio was passing the supermarket. Outside the door, was a small, timid looking man sweeping the front steps. As the girls approached, he looked up and greeted them with a smile.

"Oh hello," he said cheerfully. "I don't think I've ever seen you two around before. My name is Jeff. I run the supermarket with my wife Sasha and my daughter Karen. May I have the pleasure of your names?"

"I'm Madison, and this is my friend Sakura." said Madison as she gestured towards Sakura. "We're new to town. I don't know if Mary mentioned us."

"Oh yes, her pen pal!" Jeff exclaimed. "Mary has been very excited ever since she found out you were coming."

"We were just going to meet her now. We'll see you soon I hope." said Madison as they began to walk away. Suddenly, there was a cry of anger that came from inside the supermarket. A second later, a girl with long blond hair and shining green eyes burst through the front door in a huff. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy from crying. She stormed out and ran down the street with tears streaming down her face.

"What was that all about?" asked Sakura curiously.

"She's just in one of her moods right now I believe, that's all." replied Jeff quietly. "She just needs to figure out things on her own and then she'll be fine."

"Well, if you're sure she's all right." Madison said tentatively. "We'll just be going now I guess. Mary will be waiting for us."

"Yes, of course." said Jeff. "I hope I get to see you again soon." The girls assured him of the same as they walked off down the street. As they continued down the street, Sakura asked,

"Are there anymore distraught people in this town, other than the two we just met."

"No, everybody else is pretty happy." Zack answered with a sigh. "Unless something else bad happened since last night. By the way, this is Mary's house just here. Sorry to run, but I got to pick some stuff up from the Supermarket before it gets too late."

"Oh no worries Zack," said Madison sweetly, "You've done more than enough already."

"Aww shucks," said Zack blushing, "Anyway, I hope to see you around. See ya." As Zack walked back down from the way they came, Sakura and Madison looked at the building that Zack had led them too. It looked like a normal house except for one odd attachment. Adjacent to the right-hand side of the house, there was a structure that slightly resembled a grain silo. On the door of the cylindrical building was a small inscription carved into the wood of the door in ornate lettering that read 'Library.' Madison began walking up to the door of the house and knocked firmly with the knocker.

"Does this make any sense to you Madison?" asked Sakura as they waited for the door to be answered.

"It's just like the door says Sakura." said Madison knowingly, "Mary told me she runs the town library. I just didn't realize that it was attached to her house." Suddenly, there was a loud crash from inside. The two girls bolted their heads forward as the door flew open, revealing a small, mousy looking girl with long black hair and square-rimmed glasses. The girl looked from Madison, to Sakura, and back to Madison. Suddenly, she spoke up.

"Madison?" she asked timidly.

"Mary?" Madison replied slowly.

"Yes, I am Mary!" said Mary excitedly.

"Then I'm Madison!" shouted Madison as she stepped forward to hug her pen-pal.

"I'm so glad I'm finally able to meet you in person." said Mary enthusiastically.

"Me too!" squealed Madison, "Oh and I hope you don't mind, but I brought my friend Sakura as well."

"Oh of course I don't mind," said Mary, hugging Sakura quickly. "The only thing is that I only have room for Madison. But I'm sure we can find you somewhere to stay."

" It's OK," said Sakura jokingly, I don't mind sleeping outside. I love the outdoors.

"Nonsense!" said Mary indignantly, "You can't sleep outside! Winter's just barely ended! I'm sure we can find you somewhere to sleep at the inn. They usually have space." You'll even get a room for yourself."

"It was just a joke Mary." explained Sakura, "But thanks. The inn will be fine."

"That's good." said Mary with a sigh of relief. "I was so excited when I heard the door knock that I actually tipped over this potted plant. Nobody else in town knocks, so I knew it just had to be you. So shall I show you around town?"

"Sure, but are you sure you don't want any help cleaning up the plant. Won't your parents be upset if you leave a mess?" asked Sakura.

"Oh please," said Mary rolling her eyes. "My dad will love it. He'll probably start examining the roots or something as soon as he sees it. And my mom will be fine as long as he cleans up after himself. She doesn't let him muck around with the potted plants usually, but if it's already on the floor, she's not going to be able to hold him back."

"Is your dad a gardener or something?" asked Madison.

"He's a botanist. He goes a little crazy over his work, but he's a really nice guy. And that's coming from his daughter who's forced to go on all his nature hikes." explained Mary.

"That's funny," said Madison smiling. "Shall we be on our way then?"

"Yes of course. Let's go." said Mary. The three girls began walking down the path south away from Mary's home. Mary took them to the winery where they met Duke and Manna, the married couple who owned the vineyard. Half an hour passed before they managed to escape.

"God that Manna can talk." said Sakura letting out a deep breath as they took off down the path again.

"Yeah, I get stories from my mother all the time." replied Mary sighing. "Anyway, the inn is just up ahead. We can go and book your room now Sakura. And there's always people there, so you can meet a couple more of the townsfolk." The girls approached a building which was easily the largest they had seen in the town so far. As they walked through the wide double doors, the heard a bustle of chatter coming from within.

"So Cliff, do you like the food?" asked a girl with bright orange hair in a long braid.

"It's good, I guess." said Cliff, a boy with long brown hair tied behind his back.

"Well if you need anything else just ask." offered the girl sweetly.

"I think I'm just going to go back up to my room now." Cliff said quietly as he went to make his way up the stairs.

"Well, if that's what you want." replied the girl with an accommodating smile. After Cliff disappeared at the top of the stairs, the girl turned to the three girls and said, "I don't know how to get through to him Mary. I'm trying to get him to be more sociable but he keeps closing up as soon as I start asking about anything about him. All I know about him is that he's here because he has nowhere else to go.

"I don't know what to say Ann." said Mary thoughtfully. "He's probably gone through a lot so he has some sort of emotional baggage. It'll just take time."

" I know, but he's already been here for a whole season and all he's done is stay cooped up in his room. And were you ever planning on introducing me to your new friends Mary?" said Ann, completely changing the subject.

"Oh yes, of course." said Mary. "That's what I came here for. Ann this is my pen pal Madison and her friend Sakura. We came by to see if there was room for her to stay because I only have room for one more at my place."

"You know there is always room here Mary." said Ann cheerfully. "The only guests we have are Grey, Cliff, and Kai in the summer. And they all share one room. You can go settle in now if you like. That room is always ready just in case of visitors."

"No thanks Ann." declined Sakura. "Mary was going to show us a bit more around town still."

"No problem, it'll be ready whenever you are." Ann said happily. "I'll see you later." As the girls went to leave, Madison spoke out.

"This is kind of embarrassing, but do you have a bathroom I could use? I haven't gone since before we got on the boat." said Madison sheepishly.

"Yeah of course. It's in the back." said Ann chuckling softly. "Go ahead."

"Thank you!" said Madison quickly as she hastily darted into the back room. Sakura, Mary and Ann chatted some more as Madison relieved herself. While they spoke, a boy with a blue hat and khaki work clothes came in the front door and went up to the unattended counter.

"Oops, looks like we've got a customer." said Ann. "I'll be right back." As Ann hurried up to the counter, Sakura turned to look at Mary to see her with a huge grin on her face. Her face was beet red and she looked positively giddy.

"Everything all right Mary?" asked Sakura.

"What?" asked Mary coming out of her trance-like state. "Everything's just fine. Just...peachy." she said with a deep sigh as she lapsed back into her dazed stupor. Sakura followed Mary's glassy gaze up to the counter and realized that the boy who had just entered the inn was the culprit behind Mary's odd mood swing.

"Wow. You've got it bad." said Sakura knowingly.

"What!? No! I don't have anything! W-what are you talking about!?" stammered Mary.

"Him." said Sakura pointing inconspicuously at the boy. "What's his name?"

"That's Grey." answered Mary. "And there's nothing going on between us!" she added quickly afterwards.

"I never said there was." replied Sakura quickly. "But it's obvious that you like him. Don't try to hide it either," she added as Mary went to protest.

"Fine." Mary pouted. "I guess I do have a little thing for him."

"A _little _thing?" questioned Sakura with disbelief.

"OK a big thing." admitted Mary. "But don't tell anyone. Especially Grey."

"I wouldn't dream of it." said Sakura reassuringly. "But you should go talk to him."

"Are you crazy!?" blurted out Mary. She suddenly became silent as Grey walked by on his way to the exit. After he left, Mary blurted out again, "I can't talk to him!"

"Talk to who?" said Madison as she emerged from the backroom.

"To the guy she likes." said Sakura simply, as Mary shot her look of protestation.

"Sakura! Why did you tell her?" complained Mary. "I barely wanted you to know about it."

"Trust me Mary. You'll thank me one day." Sakura reassured her after the girls bid their goodbyes to Ann and headed out the door.

"Don't worry Mary, I won't pester you for details." said Madison kindly as they headed down the road again.

"Thanks Madison." said Mary with a sigh of relief.

Mary led them around through Rose Square again and around the corner. They then passed by the Yodel Ranch where old man Barley and his little granddaughter May were busy preparing the animals to come outdoors after their long entrapment indoors during the cold winter. They bid only a quick hello as the two workers seemed very busy with their morning chores. The situation was the same at the Poultry Farm where the chickens were being acclimated to the warmer weather by the bespectacled young man Rick, and his bubble-gum hued hair sister, Popuri. Their mother Lillia sat on the front steps of their home, basking in the sun as her children toiled away with the fowl. Once again, another quick hello was exchanged before the girls continued on their way down the path.

The next building that the girls passed was on the opposite side of the street of the two farms, next to a vacant lot. Mary hurried the two newcomers past the building with nothing but a quick glance,

"Just a blacksmith. Nothing interesting to see here." As the three girls rounded the corner, Mary said, "The forest and the hot springs are just past this farm here. Nobody's lived here for the last few months though so we should be able to just cut across." As the trio stepped foot onto the farm, they saw a portly man in a red suit and top hat stepping out of the farmhouse.

"Oh!" he said surprised. "Are you here about the ad to take over the farm?"

"Um no." said Sakura, " We're just passing through here to the hot springs."

"Oh," said the man disappointedly, "I was hoping that someone had finally come to take this place off of my hands. Ever since the last owner's passing, I've had to handle this place's upkeep. But I'm not fit for farm work as you can probably see." The man gestured to the field which looked like it had not been tended to at all, despite the man's words. The earth was littered with branches, stumps, and stones ranging from the size of a soccer ball to that of a large exercise ball. There was also a plethora of weeds growing from every imaginable part of uncovered ground.

"I haven't seen you around town before." said the man, "I'm Mayor Thomas. What brings you around these parts?"

"I'm Madison, and this is my friend Sakura." introduced Madison, "We've come to Mineral Town to visit Mary. I've been Mary's pen pal for almost a year now."

"Oh yes, I had heard rumours that you were coming around soon. What about you Sakura?" asked Thomas.

"Oh, I just tagged along with Madison. I don't have any real purpose here." explained Sakura.

"I see." said Thomas. "This may seem abrupt, but would you like to take possession of the farm?"

"Say what again?" replied Sakura, completely floored with this development.

" I'm really wasn't prepared for this much work. We put an ad out in the newspapers of the bigger cities for any aspiring farmers, but nobody replied. I'm getting desperate Sakura."

"But I never even met the previous guy! Doesn't he have a relative to pass it on to?" asked Sakura.

"His only family left is his sister. She came by shortly after his death." Thomas explained. "She walked in, took one look at the place, and then walked out without even a second thought. Besides, the owner Jack never said explicitly in his will to whom the farm was bequeathed to, so we assumed that it became free land. Please consider it Sakura. Thomas looked at Sakura with his best puppy-dog face. It was the kind that no grown man should ever make. It made him look like a sad groundhog hyena hybrid.

"Madison can I talk to you in private please?" asked Sakura in much higher pitched voice than usual. The two girls went and stood next to the barn while Mary and Thomas looked on from afar.

"Madison, this guy is out of his mind." Sakura complained. "I mean-"

"I think you should take the farm." interjected Madison.

"You too!" exclaimed Sakura incredulously. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Think about it Sakura." said Madison reassuringly. "I mean, it's not like you have much to go back to anyway. You and Li are on the outs, Tori is in Europe for university, and father's archaeological dig in Africa doesn't end for another year. Everyone else will understand that you need this fresh start."

"I don't need a fresh start." retorted Sakura.

"I think you should take it too!" said a small, yellow, winged bear popping out of Sakura's backpack.

"Kero!" exclaimed Sakura in a hushed scream as she stuffed the bear back into her bag. "What are you doing here?!"

"I tagged along. You didn't think you were going to leave me behind." responded Kero smartly, poking his head out of the backpack. "Honestly, I've been sneaking into your bags since you were a kid. I surprised you didn't see it coming."

"That's not the point. You have to be careful." warned Sakura. "Mary or the mayor could have seen you!"

"Like it would have mattered. They look like they could use some excitement. Maybe I should go beast form, rile things up a bit." Kero contemplated.

"No Kero." ordered Sakura. "We're going home soon anyway."

"Sakura, I really feel strongly that you should stay here. It'll be a good experience." reasoned Madison.

"I can't just drop everything and move Madison." countered Sakura. "We have friends back home and I have a job. I've been working at Twin Bells since I was sixteen."

"Like I said before, our friends will understand. And you've hated work ever since Maggie sold the shop to the new owner. You're not trying to pull this crap that you want to go back to that." responded Madison. "Come on Sakura. Do it for Thomas. Didn't you see how adorable his puppy dog look was. You know, after you got past the creepiness of it all."

"I guess..." said Sakura hesitantly. "I also don't want the guy killing himself over nothing. Literally nothing though. Did you see that field? I didn't even believe him when he said he had been working on it."

"All the more reason for you to stay." implored Kero. There was a long pause. Sakura then broke the silence.

"Fine. I'll take it. But as soon as an offer comes in on the farm, I'm out of here."

"Was that a yes?" exclaimed Thomas butting his head in between the two girls. "Oh I'm so overjoyed!"

"It's a temporary yes." corrected Sakura. "As soon as someone else brings an offer up on this place, I'm accepting and then I'm gone."

"That's completely fine with me. As long as someone takes it." said Thomas. "I'll leave you to get acquainted with your new home." Thomas walked off back towards town with a noticeable spring in his step. As he skipped down the road, Sakura took in her surroundings and said to herself with a blank expression.

"I can't believe it. I'm a farmer."


	3. Chapter 3: Its Harvest Goddess, Bitch!

Chapter 3: It's Harvest Goddess, Bitch!

Sakura stood there in stunned silence for a few moments until Madison nudged her out of her bewildered state.

"Sakura! Earth to Sakura!" repeated Madison several times until Sakura exited from her stupor.

"Sorry Madison, I was just a little taken aback for a second. In case you hadn't noticed, I kinda just inherited a farm," Sakura said, her voice oozing with sarcasm.

"Don't worry too much about it Sakura" said Mary reassuringly, "I'm sure someone will come to take over the farm permanently. And even if they don't it's not like Thomas could do actually do anything to make you stay. I mean you didn't sign a contract or anything, and even if you did, it's not like Mineral Town has a real lawyer to negotiate that sort of thing. You'll probably be able to leave whenever you feel like it and he won't be able to do a thing about it."

"You're right Mary," agreed Sakura. "I think I'll stay for a bit, but only that. Whenever Madison's done here, I'm out as well."

"That's fair." said Madison, "I still think that this would be good for you though , but that's just my opinion." Sakura smiled fakely at Madison as if to suggest that staying any longer than necessary was not even remotely an option.

"Well, now that that's been dealt with, I think that we should continue with the tour, don't you?" suggested Mary. The girls nodded in agreement and continued to cross the farm. They passed an apple tree with a beehive nestled in its branches as well as a tiny pond and a chicken coop far smaller than the one at the Poultry Farm. After exiting from the south end of the farm, Mary led the girls down a dirt path which ran right next to a sparsely populated forest. Looking through this forest, Sakura could see a small shack in the distance. As she looked on, a gruff-looking man with a bushy brown beard exited the shack and headed down the path into town.

"Must be a lumberjack," thought Sakura to herself. "Doesn't look like the type to socialize a lot though." Sakura did not get to find this out as Mary led them further down the path in the other direction and into a grove. This grove was surrounded with trees on all sides except for one, which was bordered by a rocky cliff side. This cliff had a hole in it which looked manmade however, Sakura could not tell from the distance whether there was anything interesting inside. There was also a waterfall streaming down a portion of the cliff which fell into a pond to the girls' right. A small house with a fenced in area was on the other side of the grove. From the steam rising out of the fenced in area, Sakura deduced that it must be a bathhouse. Sakura smiled at this revelation, considering that the shack she had been provided to live in on the farm did not look as if it was big enough to contain a proper bathroom let alone even a shower. The area gave off an air of peace yet also a feeling of mystery and magic at the same time. Sakura felt calm and uneasy at the same time and she had a sense of foreboding pervading her senses, as if something was watching her.

"This is said to be a magical place." explained Mary. "The Harvest Goddess is said to reside somewhere in this clearing. Very few have actually seen her though."

"What about you Mary?" asked Madison.

"I've never seen her, just read about her." replied Mary. "Not even Ann or Popuri have seen her, and there here almost every morning."

Sounds pretty elusive then." said Madison. "What about you Sakura," she quietly whispered, "Do you think she's here, or real at that?"

"I definitely sense some sort of presence." answered Sakura. "But I can't pinpoint what it is. I wouldn't go and say that it isn't her though."

"Hmmm..." mused Madison. "I don't feel anything, but I've come to expect that you're more sensitive to these things.

"I sense it too, and it's definitely something powerful." came Kero's muffled voice from within Sakura's bag.

"Shhh!" urged Sakura as Mary turned back around.

"I'm not sure if she's legit but she's been a story for a long time around the village." said Mary wistfully. "I kind of hope that she is real though. It seems fairy-talish but I think it would be so cool if she was real. Wouldn't it be cool if there really was magic?" Mary asked excitedly. Sakura and Madison smiled in response, holding back from telling Mary that magic was indeed real and that Sakura was magical, as well as the fact there was a mystical creature disguised as a teddy bear in Sakura's backpack. "Oh!" exclaimed Mary, seeing a clump of red plant life growing by the edge of the pond. "Is that Red Grass? That doesn't usually sprout until Summer. You girls don't mind if I take some notes, do you? If my dad found out that I saw a botanical anomaly like this and didn't record anything about it, he'd flip out."

"No problem." replied Madison. "I have my camera with me, did you want me to take some pictures?"

"That would be great!" exclaimed Mary. "I was going to take a sample anyway but it would be good to have a picture of the plant undisturbed in its natural habitat for my father's records. Madison and Mary then got on their knees to examine the specimen. Madison snapped pictures while Mary wrote jot notes on the plant's location, time of discovery and physical details in a small notebook.

"This is cool. I've never seen a plant like this where we're from." said Sakura.

"It is cool. These are the kind of things we look for when my family and I go on our nature hikes." added Mary. "And I think I've taken down everything that I need to for now." she said as she closed her notebook.

"Let me grab the sample for you." offered Sakura as she plucked a sprig of the Red Grass from the stem. "It's such a strange texture." commented Sakura. She brought the sample to her nose and was about to sniff when Mary stopped her at the last second.

"Careful Sakura!" Mary warned, "Red Grass is actually quite poisonous if ingested and the effects of the aroma haven't been tested yet. It may make you quite sick."

"Gahh!" Sakura shouted while throwing the plant away from her. The grass landed in the pond with a small 'plop' and floated on the surface of the water. A small fish approached the Red Grass and took a few nibbles from one of the leaves. After a few seconds, the fish convulsed, flipped onto its back and floated to the surface.

"See," said Mary, pointing to the fish, "it only took a few seconds for the toxins to take the fish." Seeing the whiteness of Sakura's face, she also added, "Don't worry though, you're much bigger than a fish, so it wouldn't have killed you. The worst that would have happened is extreme vomiting."

"Good to know" said Sakura sarcastically. What the girls didn't notice as they were talking although was that the sprig of Red Grass began to float towards the center of the completely still pond. Upon reaching the center, it began to sink. Suddenly, as the girls were about to pick another sample for Mary's father, a shaft of light erupted from the pond, oddly enough leaving the water completely still. As the light faded, what was left was a woman floating above the pond. Her arms were outstretched, legs close together. Her eyes were closed and her face was looking towards the sky. She was an ethereal being, appearing as real as any of the girls but her appearance gave the obvious impression that she was not a normal human. First of all, her hair was teal and wrapped tightly in two buns on either side of her head. A long braid ran down past her shoulder and ended near her hip. She seemed to sparkle and also the fact that she was floating with no visible support told the girls that she was indeed of the supernatural.

"Oh my God!" whispered Mary in disbelief, "It's the Harvest Goddess!" The Goddess began descend from her floating position until she was standing on top of the water. She was a very beautiful woman. Dressed in a light blue harem princess' outfit, she gave off an air of importance. She looked forward and opened her eyes, which shone a brilliant green.

"You really should be more careful." said the Harvest Goddess, "I appreciate gifts, but you mustn't throw things in my pond that could harm nature."

"What? Oh do you mean the Red Grass? That was an accident." explained Sakura.

"Oh really now. Ok then what's my real present?" asked the Harvest Goddess.

"Excuse me?" said Sakura as if she didn't hear the question.

"My gift. You woke me up, and whenever I get woken up, it's by someone giving me a gift." explained the Harvest Goddess.

"Well we don't have one. We weren't actually meaning to give you anything. Like we said, it was kind of an accident that you got the grass in the first place." replied Sakura. The Goddess' expression changed completely after hearing this.

"You mean you woke me up for nothing!" shouted the Harvest Goddess.

"It was an accident! Why are you getting so upset?" asked Sakura.

"Oh so now you're insulting me." whined the Goddess.

"What! No!" protested Sakura, "We're just trying to explain ourselves but you're not listening."

"ENOUGH!" thundered the Harvest Goddess in a voice that caused the birds to flee from their roosts. "I shall deliver my punishment now!"

"Madame Harvest Goddess please reconsider!" pleaded Mary running to the edge of the pool. The Goddess did not acknowledge her pleas however. She swung her arm causing a great wind to come and throw Mary against a tree, knocking her unconscious.

"Hey! That wasn't necessary!" shouted Sakura, defending Mary, "She was only trying to make things better."

"It's too late for that now!" stated the Harvest Goddess in a commanding voice. "It is time for you!" The Harvest Goddess raised her arms began gathering energy in each of her palms. As she brought down her hands and combined the two spheres of energy, Sakura ripped off the small chain she was wearing around her neck. In her clenched fist attached to the chain was a small pink key with a star in the handle.

"If it's going to come to this, I'm going to have to fight back.: said Sakura sternly.

"Be careful Sakura!" warned Madison, "You don't what she's capable of."

" Don't worry Madison, I'll be fine." Sakura reassured her, "I've dealt with worse than her before."

"But she's a Goddess." said Madison fearfully.

"Madison... I got this, just sit back and relax" said Sakura winking. Sakura then held the key in front of her and began to speak. As she began, a magical circle with a large star and a smaller sun and moon on either side lit up around her feet. The light of the circle became brighter with as she spoke.

Key of Star

With Powers Burning Bright

Reveal the Staff and Shine Your Light

Release!

As Sakura spoke these words, the key grew in length and transformed into a pink staff with a star at the end which was enclosed by a winged circle. As it completed its transformation, Sakura snatched it out of the air, spun it around in her hands with the ease of a pro, and finished by holding it straight out in front of her, ready to fight.

"You possess magic as well?" said the Harvest Goddess interestedly, "This may be interesting yet."

As the Harvest Goddess prepared to fire the energy she had collected in her hands, Sakura whipped her free hand into her purse from which she removed a small, blue, square-shaped pouch. As she slung the pouch around her shoulder, she swiftly opened the pouch. As she brought her hand near, a card flew out from the pouch as if the cards themselves knew which one she needed. The card had a pink back with a design of the same circle that had appeared around her feet when summoning the wand. On the front of the card was a picture of a shield wrapped in chains with the words "The Shield" written on a ribbon at the bottom. As the Goddess loosed the ball magical energy at the two girls, Sakura threw the card into the air, touched it with her wand, and shouted "Shield!" Suddenly, a dome of light green energy surrounded Sakura and Madison and absorbed the blow from the Harvest Goddess' attack. As her attack dissipated into nothingness, the Harvest Goddess looked visibly taken aback.

"I've never encountered this type of magic before," she said with a trace of shock in her voice. "No matter, it's not like anything you can do will hurt me." As the Goddess said this, Sakura was preparing her own counterattack. She reached towards her pouch once again and removed a card marked with a picture of a white, four-legged beast crackling with electricity. The ribbon at the bottom read "The Thunder" Sakura threw this card above her head and struck it with her wand.

"Thunder!" she shouted, "Release and dispel!" As she made this command, the wolf-like creature emerged from the card and landed in front of Sakura. With a howl that sounded of a thunderclap, the beast leaped at the Harvest Goddess and discharged a bolt of lightning from its body. The bolt struck the Harvest Goddess straight in the chest and she screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through her body. She collapsed limply into her pool and rose from it sopping wet. With a furious expression on her face, she loosed another smaller ball of energy at the Thunder card, knocking it to the ground. The creature burst into a cloud of smoke which returned to the card. The Harvest Goddess saw this, rose up from the pool once again and flew towards Sakura, her arm outstretched, reaching for the pouch hanging around Sakura's body that held the cards. Sakura reacted instantaneously to this attempt to take the cards by tightly holding the pouch to her body. This was not enough however to prevent the Harvest Goddess from getting her hands on the pouch and an intense pulling match ensued with the cards in the middle.

"Let go! They're mine!" screamed Sakura.

"Never! These are the first things that have ever harmed me! But without them, you'll be powerless!" retorted the Harvest Goddess. As the conflict escalated, the cards began to glow from within the pouch. Kero emerged from Sakura's purse in a sleepy stupor while this struggle was occurring.

"Way to wake me up Sakura," Kero complained. "I sensed something but I thought you'd be able take care of it. I guess you need my help after all." he said, his tone becoming more childish and condescending.

"Well in case you hadn't noticed, there's a bit of a situation. She's trying to take the cards and they don't seem too happy about it." Sakura complained back at him. "Why were you even sleeping anyway?"

"Well obviously someone with incredible magical power that isn't their master has their hands all over them. It seems pretty natural for them to be scared." Kero explained, "And the only reason that I was sleeping, for your information, is because that excitement over the plant was really boring."

"That's great to know," Sakura said sarcastically. "Now do you mind helping?"

"Fine" sighed Kero as his wings grew in size exponentially and encased his body in a sort of feathery cocoon. When the wings opened and spread out, the little bear was gone. In his place was a large beastlike creature, the same colour as Kero, with a helmet and a chest plate, each encrusted with a red jewel. His voice was also much deeper and gruffer. Wasting no time after his transformation, Kero with his large paw took a swipe at the Harvest Goddess, knocking her away from Sakura and causing the pouch carrying the Sakura Cards to fall to the ground, still glowing. He then loosed a burst of flame from his mouth at the Harvest Goddess, pushing her backwards and singing her clothes. She let out a scream of pain as the flame repelled her further away from Sakura.

"Ughh!" she cried in derision. "I've never encountered anyone who has been able to oppose me like this." As she spoke, the cards began to glow even brighter and a humming noise could be heard emanating from them as well. Sakura took a step forward to retrieve them, however as she approached, the cards all turned into little pinpoints of light and flew at breakneck speeds around the grove.

"Kero, what's happening?" cried Sakura in fear.

"It's her fault!" answered Kero, pointing at the Harvest Goddess, "During the struggle, some of her power must have escaped into the cards. That foreign energy was what was causing the cards to get so upset. Now they just couldn't take it and they've escaped into their spirit forms." The lights continued to circle around the grove as Sakura looked on helplessly. Even the Harvest Goddess looked uneasy. The lights then gradually came to a stop and Sakura could see the faces of each card as the pinpoints became small spheres. Then after hovering for a few seconds, the spheres of light scattered in all different directions, flying out of the vicinity.

"No!" Sakura screamed in terror.

"Ha! You're helpless now!" cried the Harvest Goddess in triumph. With a newfound confidence, the Goddess flew once again towards Sakura, poised to strike.

"Not if I can help it!" interrupted Kero as he stepped in front of Sakura protectively. Just as the Harvest Goddess was ready to make her attack Kero gathered his energy in one massive flame, aimed straight at the Harvest Goddess. The power behind this flame was enough to not only stop her in her tracks, but to push her all the way back into the cliff side. The Goddess cried out in pain as her body crunched against the wall and she fell into the pool. This was not enough to defeat her indefinitely however. Soon after this attack, the Harvest Goddess stood up, glaring at Sakura and Kero. However the damage had been done as she was nowhere near unscathed. All the exposed skin from the neck down was covered in searing, red burns.

"I'll let you have this one for now. These wounds came from magical flames so they will take time to heal." the Harvest Goddess explained, "However, as soon as I am at full power once again, I will not be so merciful." With one final glare at the two, the Harvest Goddess, sparkling, retreated back into her pool and disappeared into the shallow water.

"Well that was a thing." said Kero weakly, transforming back into his small bear form, "Hopefully nobody noticed any of that though."

"Hey!" came a loud booming voice from the entrance of the grove.

"You were saying?" whimpered Sakura.


	4. Chapter 4: Here We Go Again

Chapter 4: Here We Go Again

As the booming voice echoed throughout the area, Sakura slowly turned her head towards the entrance. A familiar frame blocked the only viable way of escape. It was the lumberjack that they had gotten a short glimpse of earlier. His enormous size prevented any hope of leaving the way that they came and the only other possible choice of escaping was the opening in the cliff wall. However this promised no sure fire safety. If it were a dead end, Sakura would be trapped. As Sakura hoped and prayed that the man would not be violent. His demeanour did not seem promising. Suddenly, Sakura's heart skipped a beat as the man proceeded to walk towards her. Kero darted back into her bag and Sakura covered her head with her hands in fear but was surprised to see that he walked straight past her to Mary who was still unconscious. He knelt down to check her pulse and after a few moments, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's ok. She's just unconscious." he said calmly.

"You, you're not mad?" whimpered Sakura.

"At who? You? It wasn't your fault. She's the goddess and should have more control over her own emotions and power." replied the man.

"But I was the one who angered her! And wait a second, how do you know about the Harvest Goddess' existence too?" yelped Sakura.

"Regardless, she should be more responsible. Just because she has power doesn't mean she should be able to misuse it like this. Attacking helpless girls, the nerve of her." said the man. He seemed pained when he said this as well.

"But I'm not helpless!" protested Sakura, "Well, I _wasn't_. But the point I'm trying to make is that I could have protected them and I wasn't able to."

"And my point is that you shouldn't have had to protect them in the first place." retorted the man, "Just because she possesses power beyond belief, doesn't mean that she can run amok with it." The man thundered these last lines which made Sakura flinch. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "How about we get the girls to the hospital, where they can get proper treatment. Sakura nodded in agreement, when suddenly a voice from behind Sakura whispered, "I'm OK." Sakura and the man turned around to see Madison sitting down hugging her knees against the wall of the hot spring bathhouse.

"Madison!" cried Sakura, running to the side of her friend. "What happened?" she asked, "You're not hurt are you?"

"No I'm fine," answered Madison quietly, "That battle just shook me up though."

"Oh Madison! I'm so sorry!" I wasn't strong enough." said Sakura hugging Madison.

"It's alright Sakura," Madison reassured her, "There's nothing more you could have done. We really should go though and take care of Mary."

"Come," said the man who had picked up Mary in his arms, "I'll take all three of you to the hospital." Sakura helped Madison to her feet and the two girls followed the man out of the clearing and down the path towards town. As they were walking Sakura said,

"Thank you for helping us. I just realized that I don't know your name though."

"It's Gotz," he replied shortly.

"Well thank you Gotz," said Sakura sweetly, "I'm Sakura and this is my friend Madison." Gotz grunted in reply.

"What happened?" whispered Madison to Sakura, "He was so passionate when he was arguing with you in the Harvest Goddess' grove."

"I don't know," replied Sakura. "But he's helping us now, so I wouldn't complain. But there are still some things I want to ask him." After a few moments of silence Sakura asked Gotz, "You still didn't answer my question from earlier. How do you know about the Harvest Goddess' existence? The way Mary was talking about her made it seem like she was pretty much a myth."

"None of your business," said Gotz roughly.

"Oh... sorry," Sakura said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. You survived her and that's what's important right now. You fought bravely though, I'll say."

"Oh yeah, about that." Sakura said sheepishly, "How much of that did you see?"

"I saw enough." Gotz replied

"You won't tell anyone about it, will you?" said Sakura warily, "Like about my magic and stuff?"

"Even if I did, who would believe me?"

"You never know. I mean you seem awfully calm about it."

"Well I'm a little more experienced about this kind of thing than anyone else in town." explained Gotz.

"Now what's that supposed to mean?!" thought Sakura to herself, "I'd ask but he'll probably just block this question too." Suddenly Madison piped in,

"Please Gotz. It's not good to be so closed off. We might be able to help you with whatever's troubling you."

"And who's to say something's troubling me." Gotz said gruffly. "My business is my business." Sakura and Madison refrained from asking anymore questions until they arrived at the hospital. It was about another ten minutes walk.

"We're here." Gotz said bluntly, opening the door with one hand, while balancing Mary's limp body in his other arm. As they walked inside, they were greeted with a shriek of terror. Sakura quickly realized that the yelp had come from Elli, who had come running from behind her counter at the front of the building.

"What happened?!" she cried, her voice riddled with fright."

"They just had an accident up on the mountain. Mary fell and hit her head." Gotz explained calmly. "The Doctor please."

"Yes, of course!" said Elli as she turned to run into the area in the back of the hospital which was blocked off by a white curtain. A few moments later, Elli returned, hot on the heels of the Doctor, a raven haired man in a white lab coat.

"Elli told me what happened," he said in an even tone. "Bring her to the bed in the back Gotz. I'll take it from here."

"Thanks Doc," said Gotz as he followed the Doctor to the bed. Sakura, Madison and Elli stayed and sat down on the chairs in the waiting area. Madison and Elli both looked pale as ghosts.

"You look terrible Madison," noted Elli, "Do you need to see the Doctor as well?"

"No, I'm okay. I think it may be just shock from what happened." replied Madison.

"Oh, but I have something for that," said Elli as she quickly rose from her chair. "It's in the back. Wait here." Elli walked behind the counter and bent down at the shelves that were filled with medical books. She pulled out a large green book, set it on the counter and began flipping through the pages, clearly looking for something specific. Seeing that Elli taking a little while finding exactly what she needed, Sakura took this time to speak quietly to Madison.

"So I guess we can't leave now that the cards have gone missing," said Sakura in a hushed tone.

Well look on the bright side," replied Madison. "Maybe this happened for a reason."

"I guess, Sakura mused."But I'm still going to have to find the cards. Really, this is only a delay. Ugh it's going to be so hard to find everything again. At least I had Windy last time to start with. This time I don't have anything."

"Not quite," said Madison smugly, "When all the cards were flying away, one of them flew straight into my lap and returned to card form.

"Really!" cried Sakura, forgetting to speak quietly for a moment. Elli did not look up from her book. Sakura continued again quietly, "Which one! Hand it over!" Madison pulled the card out of her pocket and gave it to Sakura. Sakura excitedly took the card and flipped it over. Her face instantly fell as she saw the character on the opposite side. It was a small fairy-like being with a little glowing bulb like a firefly's.

"The Glow?" Sakura said flatly. "This isn't going to help me capture any other cards!" she whispered furiously.

"Don't say that just yet Sakura," said Kero, popping into the conversation. "Every card has a use. I'm sure you'll find a way that the Glow can help you. Besides, we don't know the state that the cards are in right now. Some of the gentler cards may even return without any resistance once you find them.

"I sure hope that's the case," sighed Sakura, "I just want to find them as soon as possible. Imagine one of the more volatile cards like Fiery running wild."

"Don't worry Sakura, it'll all work out in the end," said Madison reassuringly as Kero re-entered Sakura's bag, after seeing Elli returning from behind the counter.

"Here you go Madison," said Elli, "Purple Grass. It's soothing, good for mental strains like shock. Chew on it for a bit." Madison took the Purple Grass and bit into the purple leaves. A cool shot of juice squirted into her mouth.

"Oooh!" she exclaimed, "It tastes so sweet! And I can feel it working already!"

"I'm glad." said Elli sweetly while smiling. "We have a whole stock if you need it."

"Does it grow around these parts?" asked Madison.

"Yes but usually only in the Summer." explained Elli, "Thankfully, Mary's father Basil picks us enough during that time that we usually have enough to last us the year. And not only can we use it in its natural state, but we also use it as an ingredient in the medicines we carry here."

"Basil picks enough for the whole town all on his own?" asked Sakura, thinking about high-strung Karen who she thought could probably benefit from a couple doses of the soothing herb. Probably for Sasha and Jeff as well for having to deal with her.

"Well, there was... someone else" said Elli, suddenly very depressed, "But he's... gone now." she finished with tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Sakura and Madison remained very quiet, not wanting to say anything that would further upset the young nurse. Fortunately for them, the Doctor and Gotz returned from the back area, breaking up the awkward silence.

"I've checked Mary out," he announced, "There doesn't seem to be any evidence of severe damage, but all the same I'd like to keep her here over night just in case something develops. She's resting now.

"Well I'm just glad she's OK," said Madison. "We'll leave her to rest for now and come back tomorrow morning. The girls rose from their seats and headed towards the door. Bidding the Doctor and Elli one final goodbye, Sakura and Madison left the hospital with Gotz, who remained silent.

"Thanks again for your help Gotz," said Madison as they began to walk towards Sakura's new farm. Gotz did not reply as he was walking briskly in the other direction. Madison went to follow him, but Sakura put her hand on Madison's shoulder and said,

"Don't dwell too much on him. He's obviously not a people person so don't waste your energy chasing him." Madison frowned slightly and turned around to walk with Sakura. As they walked, Sakura asked, "Madison, I know I've got my own place here now and everything but, do you mind if I stayed with you tonight at the inn?" Madison smiled,

"I was going to ask you to do the same." she replied, "After all that has happened tonight, I don't feel much like being alone."

"Same here," Sakura replied. "I'll be right by your side."

"And me by yours" said Madison, "I don't plan on leaving until you're ready to leave."

"But Madison!" protested Sakura, "There's no need for you to leave your life back home."

"I won't be leaving it behind." said Madison happily, "I'm just taking... a leave of absence. It'll be just like I'm on a long vacation."

"Thanks Madison," said Sakura. "I keep forgetting you're loaded so that taking bizarre trips like this are nothing new to your mother.

"Yeah, my mother's used to not seeing me for extended periods of time." Madison said as the two girls walked into the inn. "Besides, I can just call her if I need to talk to her," said Madison pulling her cell phone out of her purse.

"Uhh Madison," said Sakura quietly pointing to the screen of Madison's phone. Madison looked down at her phone.

"Oh, no bars." she said simply. "I guess I should have expected no signal being out so far from any other cities. I have my laptop though so I can still Skype her though right" Suddenly she spotted Ann at one of the tables, taking an order from Duke, the man they had met earlier at the winery. "Excuse me Ann," interrupted Madison, "But does the inn have an available Wi-Fi connection?"

"Whyfie?" said Ann looking up from her notepad."Is that some sort of trivia game?"

"No." replied Madison, "It's a way of connecting to the internet."

"What's that." asked Ann

"Uhh never mind." said Madison. "Do you at least know where in town my cell phone would get the best reception?"

"Cell phone? Is that like a telephone?" asked Ann, "Because we have one of those. Only one in the whole town." she said proudly.

"There's only one phone for the entire town?" Madison inquired weakly.

"Yup, but anyone is free to use it." explained Ann.

"Ok, thanks for your help." she said slowly turning back to Sakura, who was smirking.

"What are you planning on doing now?" asked Sakura, semi-amused by Madison's city-girl dependency on technology.

"Don't worry I'll be fine," said Madison brightening suddenly, "I've just got to make the best of it." Just then Ann tapped Madison on the shoulder

"Sorry to interrupt you girls, but I just wanted to let you know that your room is ready in case you wanted to turn in now."

"Now?" Sakura asked, "But it's only just ten after eight."

"Oh I just thought just in case you girls wanted to turn in early." responded Ann, "I wasn't sure how much today's fiasco would have affected you two."

"What! How much have you heard?" asked Sakura rather loudly.

"Just that you two had an accident over by the Goddess Pond." answered Ann, "Word travels fast in a small town like this."

"Apparently." said Sakura. She was about to respond when Madison piped in

"Actually, I am rather tired. Would you be alright with me going to bed Sakura?"

"Yeah of course. I'll come with you." Sakura said as she reached for Madison's arm.

"Well if you're ready, I can show you your room." said Ann cheerfully, "Come upstairs with me." Ann led the two girls up the stairs located in the corner of the main room. As they walked upstairs, a lightly coloured cat with brown stripes nuzzled Sakura's leg and purred. Sakura smiled and continued up the stairs with Ann and Madison. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, Ann led them to the first room on the left and opened the door. The room was quaint enough for the girls, with a few basic furnishings, such as a bedside table, a sitting table and some beds.

"Should be quiet enough for you." said Ann, "The only other guests right now are Cliff and Grey, who are in the room next door, and they pretty much keep to themselves anyway. I'll leave you now to settle in." She smiled sweetly and then skipped off down the stairs back to the other patrons.

Sakura offloaded her bag next to the bed. She had only packed enough clothing for about a week and a half's stay. She would definitely need to buy some new clothes. That is, if Mineral Town had a decent clothing shop. She lay down on her bed and said to Madison, "We'll have to make better preparations if we're planning on staying here longer." When there was no response, she sat up and looked at the bed beside her. Madison was unconscious on top of the covers with her hands on her chest. She smiled and looked in her purse. Kero was also fast asleep. Following suit with her two sleeping friends, she changed into a pair of light pink track pants and a white t-shirt, pulled the covers over Madison, turned out the lights, climbed into bed and fell asleep instantaneously. It was not a sound sleep however, as Sakura tossed and turned all night long with visions of the Harvest Goddess' enraged face haunting her dreams.


End file.
